• Holland & Knight attorney George Gabel was recently named the “Volunteer of the Year” for Northeast Florida by the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC). Gabel was selected due to his involvement in economic development for Cornerstone, the economic development arm of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
• Speaking of Cornerstone, it and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission won the “Deal of the Year” at this year’s FEDC conference in Orlando. The award was for the Deutsche Bank project that brought a technology operations center and 1,000 jobs to Jacksonville.
• Mavericks at the Landing has added beer pong to its Wednesday night menu of events that includes drink specials until midnight.
• Speaking of the Landing, Karlene’s closed last week. No word as to why.
• The City’s environmental division is currently drafting a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Trail Ridge Landfill, despite the current agreement between the City and Waste Management in litigation. That RFP will be reviewed by the Office of General Council, Risk Management and other divisions.
• Speaking of Trail Ridge, at the first meeting of the Trail Ridge Oversight Committee it was indicated that a majority of the meetings may be held in the shade — outside of the state Sunshine Laws — since the landfill is very much a legal matter at this point.
• The Blue Angels have changed their policy regarding promotional flights before the Sea & Sky Spectacular. In years past, members of the Northeast Florida media got to ride as civilians. This year, however, it’ll be those who have made an impact on the lives of area kids, with a focus on those in education.
• The “Mort goes to Camp” bus will pull into Jaguars training camp Friday, the day before the Jaguars home preseason opener against Tampa Bay. ESPN corespondent Chris Mortenson is using the bus to visit 21 camps in 24 days. The tour wraps up Sunday in Miami.
• LaMee Florist on St. Augustine Road is doing its part to spread good will. Sept. 9 starting at 7 a.m. the store will give away 2,400 flowers in bunches of a dozen. However, there’s a catch. You may keep one of the flowers, but you will be asked to give the other 11 away to different people. The promotion is in conjunction with the annual FTD “Good Neighbor Day.”
• During its monthly meeting Thursday, the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization Board unanimously passed a resolution honoring the work and life of late State Sen. Jim King. “He was a mentor to me,” said North Florida TPO Chair and City Council member Art Graham. “I thought it was important.”
• The City Rescue Mission will hold its first golf tournament, Champions 1800, to raise funds to contribute toward its mission of providing services to Jacksonville’s homeless. The event is Aug. 31 at TPC Sawgrass and members of the public may register as an individual or team of four. The entry fee is $100 a person, though participants are asked to raise donations in addition, with all proceeds benefitting the nonprofit. For more information, call Sylvie LaBerge at 421-5180.
• Updating Wednesday’s story regarding WJCT’s involvement in foreclosures, the local public broadcasting station is airing programming this week on the crisis. Thursday at 8 p.m., the “Our Stories: Facing the Mortgage Crisis” documentary will re-air on Ch. 7. A live, 90-minute call-in program will follow the Thursday program at 8:30 p.m. and feature local experts, government officials and social service providers on the issue. For more information on the programs, go to www.wjct.org.
• Speaking of hot topics issues, Florida’s AARP is hosting a series of forums on health care, with two meetings in Jacksonville. Both are Wednesday, with the first at the Southeast Regional Library from 10–11:30 a.m. and the second at Bradham Brooks Northwest Branch Library from 3:30–5 p.m. The community conversation will be with AARP Florida State Director Lori Parham. For information and to register, go to www.aarp.org/fl.